Most diamond painting kits are made with classic round or square drills, giving the finished artwork a smooth, colorful, and satisfying sparkle. But some designs go one step further by adding special drills — decorative drills that come in different shapes, sizes, finishes, and jewel-like effects.

These sparkling accents are often called special shaped drills, gemstone drills, crystal-style drills, or shaped accent drills. They are not just extra decoration. When used thoughtfully, they help highlight the most eye-catching parts of a design, such as jewelry, flowers, wings, crowns, stars, animal eyes, magical details, and romantic accents.

In this guide, we’ll explain what special drills in diamond painting are, how they differ from regular round drills, where they create the strongest visual impact, and why they make certain 5D diamond painting kits feel more detailed, dimensional, and collectible.

What Are Special Shaped Drills in Diamond Painting?

Special shaped drills are diamond painting drills that go beyond the standard round or square shape. They may be larger, more faceted, more transparent, or shaped like teardrops, ovals, hearts, crystals, or gemstone-style accents.
In simple terms, special drills are the highlight pieces of a diamond painting kit.
While regular drills usually build the main color areas of the artwork, gemstone drills are often used to emphasize important focal points. They can make a necklace look more like real jewelry, give flower centers extra depth, add a magical glow to fantasy artwork, or make small details stand out from the rest of the canvas.
Some kits use only a few special shaped drills for subtle sparkle. Others combine regular drills with multiple accent shapes, creating a mixed-drill effect that feels more decorative and dimensional.

Special Shaped Drills vs Regular Round Drills

Regular round drills are familiar to most diamond painters. They are usually the same size and shape, making them easy to place and ideal for covering large areas of color. Special shaped drills, on the other hand, are designed to create stronger visual accents.

Regular Round Drillslls	Special Shaped / Gemstone Drills
Usually the same size and shape	Different shapes and sizes
Used for large color areas	Used for highlights and focal details
Create an even sparkle	Create stronger jewel-like sparkle
Easy for smooth filling	Add texture and decoration
Common in most kits	Often used for special visual effects

This is also why special shaped drills are different from simply using shiny round rhinestone-style drills. A regular round drill may sparkle beautifully, but a gemstone drill or shaped accent drill can change the texture, direction, and visual focus of the artwork.

For example, a teardrop-shaped drill can look like a pendant, a petal, or a drop of light. A marquise-style drill can create the feeling of a leaf, wing, or jewel setting. A large faceted round drill can become the center of a flower, crown, or mandala.

Examples of Special Shaped Drills in FEELOOK Art Kits

Special drill names are not always standardized. Different brands, suppliers, and crafters may describe similar pieces in different ways. In this guide, we use simple shape-based names to help you recognize the kinds of sparkling accents you may see in FEELOOK Art diamond painting kits.

Teardrop-Style Drills

Teardrop-style drills, sometimes described as water drop drills, have a soft pointed shape that creates a flowing and elegant effect. They are often used for petals, hanging jewelry, tears, water details, moonlight, wings, or magical highlights.
In a finished diamond painting kit, teardrop drills can make a small area feel more graceful and expressive. They are especially beautiful in floral, fantasy, celestial, and romantic designs.

Oval and Marquise-Style Drills

Oval and marquise-style drills have a longer, more jewel-like shape. Marquise-style pieces are usually narrow and pointed at both ends, creating a stretched sparkle that feels elegant and directional.

These special shaped drills work well for leaves, fairy wings, crowns, decorative borders, clothing details, and gemstone-like ornaments. Because their shape has direction, they can make a design feel more delicate and refined than standard round drills alone.

Heart-Shaped Accent Drills

Heart-shaped drills are easy to recognize and often appear in romantic, cute, or giftable designs. They can be used for love-themed details, character accessories, Valentine-inspired artwork, or small emotional accents within a larger image.
For diamond painting gifts, heart-shaped accent drills can make the finished piece feel warmer and more personal.

Large Faceted Round Drills

Large faceted round drills may still be circular, but they are not the same as standard round drills. They are usually larger, more prominent, and designed to act as focal gems.
These gemstone drills are often used in flower centers, crowns, mandalas, stars, ornaments, and fantasy details. Because they catch light strongly, they help create a central point that draws the eye.

Crystal-Style and Gemstone-Like Accents

Some special drills are best described by their effect rather than a single shape. Crystal-style drills, gemstone-like accents, and rhinestone-like pieces can add a brighter, glassier, or more reflective sparkle to the design.
These accents are especially useful in fantasy, spiritual, floral, ocean, celestial, and decorative artwork. They can make certain parts of the canvas feel more luminous, as if the artwork has small pieces of jewelry built into it.

Where Special Shaped Drills Create the Most Sparkle

The beauty of special drills is not only in the shape itself, but in where they are placed. When used in the right part of a design, they create a stronger focal point and make the finished artwork feel more layered.

You may see special shaped drills used in areas such as:

Jewelry and necklaces 
Flower centers and petals 
Butterfly or fairy wings 
Crowns and ornaments 
Animal eyes 
Moon, stars, and magical light 
Mandala centers 
Romantic hearts 
Fantasy costumes and accessories 

Regular drills build the full image, while gemstone drills highlight the details that deserve extra attention.

For example, in Aphrodite diamond painting, special shaped drills are used on the necklace area to create a jewelry-like highlight. The regular drills build the overall image, while the gemstone-like accents make the necklace stand out with extra sparkle and dimension.

Are Special Shaped Drills the Same as Rhinestones?

Not exactly.

“Rhinestone” is a broad word that many people use for shiny decorative stones. In diamond painting, some crafters may use the phrase rhinestone diamond painting to describe artwork with a bright, crystal-like sparkle.

However, special shaped drills are more specific. They usually refer to drills with different shapes, sizes, or accent effects, such as teardrop-style drills, oval drills, heart-shaped drills, large faceted rounds, or gemstone-like pieces.

A drill can have a rhinestone-like sparkle without being a special shaped drill. Likewise, a gemstone drill may look like a jewel accent because of its size, shape, cut, or placement in the artwork.

So, while these terms may overlap in casual use, they are not always the same. For this article, we use special shaped drills and gemstone drills to describe shaped or jewel-like accent drills that add sparkle, texture, and focal detail to a diamond painting kit.

Full Drill and Partial Drill Designs Can Both Use Special Drills

Many people associate special drills with partial drill diamond painting, because partial drill kits often use sparkling accents on selected areas of the design. But special drills are not limited to partial drill artwork.

A full drill diamond painting can also include gemstone drills or special shaped drills.
In a full drill design, regular drills may cover most of the canvas, while special drills are added to highlight key details. This gives the artwork both complete coverage and decorative sparkle. In a partial drill design, special drills may appear more concentrated in the main subject or focal area.

So the key idea is:

Special drills do not automatically mean partial drill.

They can appear in both full drill diamond painting kits and partial drill designs, depending on how the artwork is designed.

Are Special Shaped Drill Kits Beginner-Friendly?

Many special drill diamond painting kits can be beginner-friendly, especially when the design is clear and the number of shaped accent drills is moderate.

In some ways, larger gemstone drills can be easier to see and place than very small standard drills. However, certain shapes, such as teardrops or marquise-style drills, may need more attention because they have direction. Placing them neatly helps the finished artwork look balanced.

For beginners, a good first choice would be a kit with:

Clear symbols 
Not too many different drill shapes 
Larger accent areas 
A manageable canvas size 
A design where the special drills are easy to identify 

If you enjoy decorative sparkle and do not mind working slowly on detailed areas, special shaped drills can be a fun and rewarding part of the diamond painting experience.

How to Place Special Shaped Drills Neatly

Working with special shaped drills is not difficult, but a few small habits can make the finished result look cleaner.

First, check the symbol and shape before placing each drill. Some accent drills are directional, so the angle matters. Teardrop-style and marquise-style drills, for example, should follow the printed guide carefully.

Second, consider using tweezers for larger gemstone drills. A regular diamond painting pen works well for many drills, but tweezers can give you more control when placing larger or longer shapes.

Third, avoid peeling back too much of the protective film at once. Keeping the working area small helps protect the adhesive surface from dust and makes it easier to focus on each section.

Finally, after finishing an area, gently check that the larger accents are aligned. Because gemstone drills can be bigger than regular drills, a smooth adhesive surface also helps them sit neatly and stay secure over time.

FEELOOK Art Designs Featuring Special Drills

At FEELOOK Art, special drills are used to highlight the details that make a design stand out. They are not added randomly; they are placed in areas where extra sparkle, texture, or jewel-like dimension can support the artwork.

In Selene, a fantasy diamond painting kit with celestial blue tones, gemstone drills draw attention to the jewelry, sleeves, and glowing details. These sparkling accents make the finished artwork feel more luminous, elegant, and dreamlike, especially for crafters who love fantasy diamond art, goddess-inspired designs, and celestial themes.

Flower Skull Momento Mori is a licensed diamond painting kit featuring a bold floral skull design. Its special shaped drills add jewel-like sparkle to the decorative floral details, creating a striking contrast between gothic style, colorful ornamentation, and symbolic artwork. For crafters who enjoy gothic diamond painting, floral skull diamond art, or licensed artist designs, these special accents make the piece feel more expressive and collectible.

These examples show how special drills in diamond painting can support very different visual styles. In a fantasy design like Selene, they enhance soft light, jewelry, and magical atmosphere. In a licensed artwork like Flower Skull Momento Mori, they add texture, drama, and decorative brilliance to an already detailed illustration.